Taking a little break

Hey guys! I have a lot to do this week to get ready for my 24 Halloween crafts in 24 hours and my Terrorific Tuesday projects. I really need to focus in on in it, so that it is ready for you guys to enjoy! If you are still interested in joining me for Terrorific Tuesday click on the link above and it will tell you all about it!

I'll be back a week from today with a kick-butt project (it will be my own personal Terrorific Tuesday project) for Halloween to get the holiday started off right.

My b-day is this week too (Thursday) and I have a fun fair excursion on Friday, so I'll be one busy bee!

Hope all is well in your world and that you have an awesome week!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

P.S. Check out the cute pics I shot today of my friends Katie and Kyle who are getting married in November. I think they turned out pretty cute :)

Crafty Blogger Links

Check out and see what the Crafty Bloggers are up to this week!

About Family Crafts
September is National Sewing Month! Why not celebrating by making one or more of these easy sewing projects.

Aileen's Musings
Have you heard the term Altered Art or Altered Artist and wondered what exactly that means? Aileen has given her explanation of what Altered art is and how YOU too can become an Altered Artist!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
It's the return "Terrorific Tuesdays" on Swelldesigner's blog! Learn about how you can participate in all the fun, spooky Halloween action!

Cathie Filian
Melt up some soy wax and make some easy candles with Cathie.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside's got a fun skull quilt tutorial inspired by a quilt in the new book Quilting Art, how-to's on painting rocks like skulls, eyes and more for Halloween, tips for re-purposing in the studio and the correct terms for the parts of a book.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy shows the beginnings of a baby blanket in progress, a super easy crochet project to consider for those who make charity items.

CraftyPod
Check out Sister Diane's newest ebook - Creating a Blog Audience: An Unconventional Marketing Guide

Cross Stitch at About.com
Do you find solace in your stitching? Vote in the poll, read the comments, and share your own experiences.

Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style
I may have to tackle a t-shirt quilt---I'm getting ideas from all directions.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi has a copy of "The Art of Fabric Collage" to give away!

Naughty Secretary Club
Jen is in the midst of wrapping paper week with clever how-to idea, uses for wrapping paper that have nothing to do with gifts & a Wrapagami book giveaway.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
How to make a Cone Candy Holder Candelabra inspired by a pretty project from Paperie for Inspired Living by Karen Bartolomei

The Artful Crafter
Do you know how to make a secret box book? It's not hard - well - except on your fingers. Eileen shows you how. She took lots of photos since she won't be able to type for a while. LOL.

The Crochet Dude
Check out Drew's super cool Crochet Word Search that he has as a free download on his blog! I wonder how quick I can finish it!

The Impatient Crafter
Get your teens ready for Back to School with these recycled denim book covers from The Impatient Crafter for I Love to Create!

Vickie Howell-Craft.Rock.Love
Join Vickie & Lands' End for a Twitter Party to celebrate the FeelGood campaign to benefit the homeless!

I went to a hot air balloon festival

I would call this a "Wednesday is Lensday" post, but it's not actually Wednesday anymore. Whoops! Anyway, this past weekend (with my friend Silvia, I took some fun photos at Clovisfest in Clovis, California! Clovis is actually right next to Fresno and they merge together. My work is right on this border, but that's really beside the point.

Anyway, here's some fun pics of the up in the air action. I had never seen hot air balloons before and it was a treat! I would like to go up in one!













If you ever get a chance to go to a hot air balloon festival, I totally recommend it. It may require you to get up early, which was a rare, rare feat for me, but it is totally worth it. Next time I would even get up earlier so I could get photos of them blowing the balloons up!

That's it for now. Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

A red couch moment

I've been noticing that my cat loves sitting right in the middle of the couch lately. She is such a peculiar, unpredictable girl. She really has no rhyme or reason. I decided to take a quick pic of her tonight to show you her lounging in her spot.

A quick post tonight. Had some work to do and watched a little TV. Kelly Osbourne was really good on Dancing with the Stars. She has a natural talent.

Did want to share some Halloween inspiration that I love. Enjoy!

– Love all this orange, black,white, and grey compiled inspirational images on Twoila.com.

– Graphic goodness postcards on Artjunk. Feels my heart with Halloween joy. What a great recycled magazine idea!

– Lovely cupcake canvases on Catherine Holman's blog.

– What a cute idea for a little girl's jeans! Found in All Sweet's Etsy shop.

– And a super cute cover for a lollipop... an Amigurumi bear in Halloween colors! from Amigurumi Kingdom's Flickr Stream.

Hope you have a great Wednesday!

Until next day Swellions!

Alexa

P.S. If you haven't checked out the crazy red dust storm photos in Sydney, you should. Totally bizarre!

24 Halloween Crafts in 24 Hours

Update: Click here for a compiled list hour by hour of all my Halloween crafts I presented on October 8.

If you tuned in last night on Inspired at Home Radio, you heard me talk about my attempt to do 24 Halloween crafts in 24 hours! If you didn't tune in, you can hear my broadcast here. This is my official announcement here on my blog. Just to clarify, I'm not the first to attempt this feat... Crafty Chica did it back on Earth Day in April and I've also noticed 24 blog posts in 24 hours by Elsie Flannigan.

Anyway, my goal with this project is to share ideas and inspire you with quick and easy and very accessible projects. I'll be covering everything from jewelry to decor ideas to fun food crafts to costumes! And all of the projects I make are something you can achieve in an evening, so it doesn't mean you have to spend hours of labor slaving away on your crafts! I know very few of us have time to do that!

I also have a little favor of all my blog readers...if you have a blog, could you please share this little button in the side bar of your blog? Then link back here to this post so that others can be clued in about my 24 crafts in 24 hours?



I have some exciting photos, Halloween stuff, and things to share in the next few days, so please check back this week :)

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Check me out on Inspired at Home!

This Sunday, I'll be on the Inspired at Home Radio Show . I'll be discussing my 24 crafts in 24 hours blog posts (the official date is Oct. 9!) as well as Halloween crafts in general and Terrorific Tuesdays!

I would be so excited if you could tune in!

OK, back to Halloween photography and crafting!! I'm a busy bee right now.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Fun rings and Halloween links!

So unfortunately not my usual blog post...I do leave you with some of my fun Halloween rings. :)



Oh, some inspiring links...

– I want this lampshade.

– For you True Blood and Twilight fans, ya gotta love this iPhone cozy.

– And a great little year-round Halloween site with lots of inspiration... All Hallows Design.

– I love all of Country Living's pumpkin décor. Divine!

– And part of me wants to dress up like this for Halloween. I don't know about you, but it would make me laugh if I saw someone wearing it!

Have a great Thursday!

Until next time Swellions!

Vintage Halloween ads from i-Mockery!

I'm a sucker for anything vintage, and especially vintage Halloween, so imagine my delight when I stumbled on to this collection of vintage Halloween ads at i-Mockery!

I can just imagine the Mad Men guys giving the sales pitch for these as I type! Hee hee. There are a lot of fun ones on there. I've always thought that Halloween time made for the best projects and outside the box thinking...I think it's a time where people let their hair down and just have fun. I love the unexpected whimsy that Halloween brings.

Well, actually heading in early tonight for me. I've been staying up way to late and totally feeling it the past couple of days!

Oh, and if you are still interested in participating in Terrorific Tuesdays, drop me a line at swelldesigner@yahoo.com and I'll add you to the group!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Tropical Twist Bracelet and Magazine Talk

A few months back, I got a bracelet design into Simply Beads. Well, unfortunately, before it was published, the magazine ceased publication. The good news is that is is still available online for purchase at E-patterns Central. So if you are into jewelry making, I suggest you check it out. There's a lot of cute cross-stitch, knitting, crochet, paper crafting, and other patterns on the site as well, so there's a little something for everyone!

I've actually stopped seeking out print publications to get my work in these days. I simply have been too busy with my new job, blogging, and my other crafty interests. Another of the main reasons is that a lot of the magazines I really wanted to get into have ceased publication. It's such a bummer. In my opinion, magazines that will stand the test of time have to be more technique driven and packed with a LOT of value. For example, I tend to buy Halloween magazines, because I love to look at them year after year and become reinspired. To me, there is a lot of value to them in the inspiration. Also, it helps that the photos are ultra appealing and make me want to want to make the project. Unfortunately, a lot of mags don't have the beautiful photos like we see in Better Homes and Gardens (they simply don't have the budgets for such great photography). Yes, I'm still a sucker for that mag. I just bought an issue yesterday. I always fall in love with their ideas and I appreciate that they really stay on trend with projects and for the most part always have new and improved content.



Speaking of content, I am disappointed by the new Martha Halloween mag that is out on newstands right now. Half of the magazine is old projects that were featured in that same mag one or two years ago, and then there's a giant 16 page supplement of Martha Stewart ready-made gifts you can buy to decorate your home with. I would rather see more tutorials than a giant advertisement. It didn't have much value to me, so I don't think I will be purchasing that one this year :(

Well, it's late and I have a full day of graphic design and crafts ahead of me!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Crafty Blogger Links!

Check out what the Crafty Bloggers are up to this week!!

About Family Crafts
September is National Sewing Month! Why not celebrating by making one or more of these easy sewing projects.

Aileen's Musings
Have you heard the term Altered Art or Altered Artist and wondered what exactly that means? Aileen has given her explanation of what Altered art is and how YOU too can become an Altered Artist!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
It's the return "Terrorific Tuesdays" on Swelldesigner's blog! Learn about how you can participate in all the fun, spooky Halloween action!

Cathie Filian
Melt up some soy wax and make some easy candles with Cathie.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside's got a fun skull quilt tutorial inspired by a quilt in the new book Quilting Art, how-to's on painting rocks like skulls, eyes and more for Halloween, tips for re-purposing in the studio and the correct terms for the parts of a book.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy shows the beginnings of a baby blanket in progress, a super easy crochet project to consider for those who make charity items.

CraftyPod
Check out Sister Diane's newest ebook - Creating a Blog Audience: An Unconventional Marketing Guide

Cross Stitch at About.com
Do you find solace in your stitching? Vote in the poll, read the comments, and share your own experiences.

Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style
I may have to tackle a t-shirt quilt---I'm getting ideas from all directions.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi has a copy of "The Art of Fabric Collage" to give away!

Naughty Secretary Club
Jen is in the midst of wrapping paper week with clever how-to idea, uses for wrapping paper that have nothing to do with gifts & a Wrapagami book giveaway.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
How to make a Cone Candy Holder Candelabra inspired by a pretty project from Paperie for Inspired Living by Karen Bartolomei

The Artful Crafter
Do you know how to make a secret box book? It's not hard - well - except on your fingers. Eileen shows you how. She took lots of photos since she won't be able to type for a while. LOL.

The Crochet Dude
Check out Drew's super cool Crochet Word Search that he has as a free download on his blog! I wonder how quick I can finish it!

The Impatient Crafter
Get your teens ready for Back to School with these recycled denim book covers from The Impatient Crafter for I Love to Create!

Vickie Howell-Craft.Rock.Love
Join Vickie & Lands' End for a Twitter Party to celebrate the FeelGood campaign to benefit the homeless!

Weekend Highlights

1. I took a couple cute Pixie cat pics that I thought turned out pretty swell. She's such a good poser.


2. Went to the Farmer's Market. Here's a little video. Forewarning you...on the middle part, it gets a little motion-y when I flip the camera over. Eventually going to need to get a video editor.


3. Bought a whole bunch of last year Halloween paint and props for $8. I mean, they were selling makeup sets that are currently in stores for $5 for 30¢. Score! Got a blonde bobbed wig for $2. A future 365 photo prop for sure!


4. Watched several episodes of True Blood. It's my latest addiction. I get that way about TV series (remember my Mad Men addiction? Last year, it was 24 and Dexter). It has inspired me to do a Halloween True Blood/Vampire inspired craft.

5. Went to Joann's today. Got a whole slew of stuff including some super cute socks, buttons (they got GREAT new buttons in this past couple of weeks). Got really inspired.


6. Worked on "24 crafts in 24 hours" projects tonight. Some turned out, some didn't. Can't win them all though. I did get some photography and list making done...see?

7. Watched the VMA's. Enjoyed the performances, esp. by Beyonce and Pink and Taylor Swift. Lady Gaga's was very interesting and the opening in honor of MJ was touching. It was an overall good show...Kanye was such a jerk to Taylor Swift, but Beyonce showed true class by letting her have her moment.

Well, off to bed! Hope everyone has a great week!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

To Silvia's house I go!

Tonight, after dinner, I went to my friend Silvia's house. It was low key. We really enjoy hanging out together. We have a lot in common and we have a similar sense of humor.

A few days ago, I bought her son Joshua a little Halloween cat (I love to share the Halloween love prior to Halloween!) If you get a Halloween gift on Halloween, you don't get to enjoy it! Anyway, he loved it! It was decided that his/her (I'm not quite sure the gender) name would be Spidey and I made Spidey rap, do the worm, and leap and fly for Joshua. Hee hee. I love kids. It's nice being around a little one, especially since I'm so far away from my nieces and nephews. Later, Garrett, Silvia's husband said he went to bed holding it. That makes me happy and I hope he has fun with it. Doesn't it have the best eyes and isn't Joshua adorable?



Silvia showed me her childhood sticker collection as well as a sticker book she picked up at a thrift store and there were some crazy ones. I'm still fascinated by the smelly stickers. The strawberry was the best, but then it mixed in with the pizza smell and that wasn't so swell.



We ate Popeye's for dinner and had a rousing round playing Dance Dance revolution. I had Silvia record me below while I took my turn. I wasn't bad, but I wasn't good either. It was my first time, though, and it was a lot of fun! I worked up a sweat too. Admittedly, I hate exercise and it so didn't feel like exercise. Hmmm, maybe I should invest in a Playstation?? Perhaps. Anytime I can dance and groove and work out while doing so sounds good to me!



Well, off to bed in a few. I hope you guys have an awesome Friday!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Wednesday is Lensday: Close Ups!

So, I haven't done a "Wednesday is Lensday" in a while, but tonight while thinking about what I was going to post, my heart just wasn't in it. I felt like expressing myself through my photos and that's just what I did. The fact that they are Halloween colors, well, that's what I have laying around the house right now, so it was an immediate go-to. Go figure.


Glitter paint in my palette.


A new necklace that is made of different types of chain.


This is a close up of an orange foil gift bow. It's not quite as in focus as I would like, but maybe that makes it cooler? Very abstract, I think.


A detail of my retro reproduction lamp. I purchased it at Deadly Nightshades about 5 or so years ago. Kinda wish I bought the double lamps. Maybe down the road...


And a little detail of my Cider Web Yankee candle.

Admittedly, when I shoot close up for a while, it sometimes strains eyes, so I have a teeny tiny headache right now. Nevertheless, I hope you found these little orange and yellow photos inspiring!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Another Swell Show & Tell!

I did another video tonight where I show some of my cool finds and crafty gifts from friends and family members!

If you like banana clips, then you'll love this video!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

My swell Halloween t-shirt tradition!

Aren't these t-shirts the cutest! I hope my little munchkins - my nieces and nephews will like them. For the past 3 or 4 years, I've gotten them a Halloween shirt each year. I try to get them a really cool one that they will actually want to wear and not a cheesy/kiddy one. You know how kids these days can be fickle like that. As you can probably tell by the tags, I got these at Target and I just love all of them! I especially like the girl shirts (what can I say, I'm a sucker for little girls). The purple little onesie says, "Ghouls just wanna have fun". I'm getting this for little Ava. It's her first Halloween ever! I need to ask my sis what she is going as! I am usually not a brand person when it comes to these things, but man oh man, I love the Hello Kitty shirt. It is sparkly on the white areas of Hello Kitty and I love how graphic it is! I kinda wish they had this in the adult size!

I guess being far away now, I don't want them to think I've forgotten about them! I don't get to see them as much, but I want this little tradition to continue. I have a feeling that Brock's days are numbered (he is 10). I'm thinking in a couple years he won't think a Halloween shirt is such a cool idea. Kids grow up way to fast and their styles change practically overnight! I know, though, that will prob. grow to be a big kid at heart when it comes to holidays. My sister (Brock and Taylor's mom) is like that too and it is so cute how she gets so excited about the holidays as well (Christmas is her favorite time of year).

I also know that my other nephew Grant (Ava's big bro) will love his too (I bought him the mummy shirt). He's so cute about his clothes. He sometimes gets attached to them...like when he wanted to wear the same pair of Halloween socks for weeks on end! Sophia (his mom) tells me that he really loves getting special packages in the mail.

So, I'll be shipping these out in the next few days. With kids growing so fast, I figure they will get more wear out of them sooner rather than later!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

I made my first video!

I got a video camera this weekend and I uploaded this little video showing off some of my craft goodies that I am making/using.

For all of y'all who wonder what I really sound like and look like, this is for you. Super exciting stuff...NOT!

Hee hee. I always think it is weird/cool when you see a person talking in a video that you've only seen in pictures. Let me know if anything about it surprises you. Haha.

Oh and if you are interested in some of my little button packs, you can find it here on my Halloween Etsy Shop.

Hope everyone had a super swell holiday weekend. Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

The Return of Terrorific Tuesday!

Well, it's about that time of year again and I'm excited to announce that Terrorific Tuesday is back this year!

Yes, you still have about a month til we actually start sharing the linky love, but I'm announcing this now so that you can get your Halloween thinking caps on and so that you plan accordingly. I know how hard it is to do a last minute project on the fly, so hopefully this will be a way for you to have a little more time in creating your craft, art, and inspirational projects!

For those who are new to Terrorific Tuesday...here's the deal: Each week during the month of October, I ask you to post a Halloween project/craft/food craft/anything creative and centering around Halloween on your blog. I then compile all the posts of various participants and make a mini photo mosaic along with the links to each project. I then send you the code for you to insert into your blog on Tuesday, thus why it is called "Terrorific Tuesdays". This is a way for you to be inspired each and every Tuesday during the month and share in the joy of Halloween creativity!

Still a little confused? Here's the posts I compiled for each of the weeks last year...

Terrorific Tuesday Week 1
Terrorific Tuesday Week 2
Terrorific Tuesday Week 3
Terrorific Tuesday Week 4

This year, I'm doing things a bit different. I'm compiling a Yahoo group so that it will be easier for me to compile all the entries. Also, I'm asking that everyone who has a project to feature send me their link by Sunday night. This gives me Monday evening to compile all the projects (last year I was up to 2am working on the compilation and it was kinda stressful - hopefully everyone having their links up on Sunday will make things a little less hairy).

I'm not going to any more of the details right now, but if you are interested in participating, please e-mail me at swelldesigner@yahoo.com and I'll send you an invite to the group. Once on the Yahoo group page, you will see a section called "Files" and I've posted "TT Guidelines" on there that further outline what you need to do to participate!

If you are still confused, please e-mail me directly at swelldesigner@yahoo.com and I'll try to answer any questions you may have! I really hope you decide to participate, even if it is just for one week during the month of October! I can't wait to see what you have "brewed" up!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

From my Grandmother's House to Mine

I wanted to share a couple of things that I recently acquired that belonged to my Grandmother. When she passed away, we had to go through her things. It was very surreal going through her things without her there. I thought it would be rough, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that my memories of her are all positive and I fondly remember the good times.

The little salt and pepper shakers above are so cute, aren't they? I guess these are cats? I'm pretty sure these were pretty common at one time, but I love them even so. It's so weird to see them in my house and not in relationship to her surroundings.

Another couple of pieces that I took that I always admired were this Pinkie and Blue Boy set.



I always was fascinated by them. I think there's a certain kitsch factor there. Probably because they were probably inexpensive knock-offs at the time. I always loved the iconic look of them and the romanticism around them. Seems like I remember seeing them (in photos too) in other older peoples homes I visited back in the day too. Oh my...just got a thought. This would make the most adorable Halloween costume.

Some other items that I took? For one, a set of Norman Rockwell prints that hung above her bed (No matter what anyone says about Norman Rockwell, he always has a soft spot in my heart). I also got her scale (seen here) and her graduated set of Tupperware bowls. I also took some colorful glassware dishes with lids and her jewelry. My mom is also going to make me something from the clothes that she wore alot. She loved striped button ups and sweatshirts with elastic band jeans. See? Wasn't she the cutest? She always questioned why I took so many photos, but she was never discouraging of it.



I'm not one to go for expensive stuff. That's not what I wanted. I wanted to take with me pieces that reminded me of her and her place and things that struck an emotional cord with me. I think it's funny that the little things of hers that fascinated me back thing show off my kitschy sensibilities today. It shows my design/décor preferences even back then.

I think about her every day. For example, when someone mentioned they were playing Farkle on Facebook (it's a dice game), I was like, "NO WAY!" My Grandmother and brother played that game a lot and I loved playing it with them. She loved her card and dice games!

Well, that's it for tonight. Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Some crafty/artsy inspiration

Thought I'd share today some fun stuff that inspired me that I thought you would like too :)

One of my new Fresno besties, Silvia, had been telling me about her blog and I finally got over there to check it out today. I totally love it and I think you will too! It's called Studio Mama!



She's a mother, wife, and artist and oh so inspiring. I think you will find her posts amusing and a breath of fresh air. And her little boy Joshua is just one part of her rich storytelling. Here's a few photos that are a little visual representation of her blog



I was inspired today by this image by Flickr user Better Off Dead (Claire Marie Vogel) (thus partially why I did my 172/365 photo today the way I did).



I'm also in a very Lisa Frank mood these days. Look how bright and busy this imagery is! I always loved it as a kid...I remember when you had to get it at a sticker shop or little gift boutique...it wasn't in the mass retail shops like Wal-mart. Oh, the good ol' days when a find really was a find (and not a google find...haha).





I found the cover of the new V magazine featuring Lady Gaga to be very visually interesting. I think she is truly innovative and and very conceptual with her looks and I like that. While I don't follow her all that closely, I'm always amazed by her ever changing look and that she's willing to push the envelope. I think it would be fun to do a Lady Gaga inspired photo shoot! Hmmm, maybe I'll have to go wig shopping in the near future?



Oh, and last but not least, this Inspiration Board post from It's a Jaime Thing will make your heart swoon. Though I have no plans of marrying in the near future (you have to have prospects first in order for that to happen), I love, love, love wedding inspiration. I think it's one of the few times when adults actually get in tune with their crafty side, so that's why there is so much inspiration to be found. Oh, and check out the Halloween wedding inspiration toward the bottom of the post...LOVE!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

When your photo just clicks

A few weeks ago, I took this photo at a little breakfast place in Atlanta while visiting with my friend Carey.

Being a photographer (and on Flickr), I find that so many things are subjective. Choosing what to upload and what to showcase is sometimes really hard. It's hard to know what people will like.

But sometimes there are moments when you and the camera just click, like in this photo. I'm sure you have those photos too even if you aren't what you consider yourself a photographer...you just feel really proud of a photo you took on a whim. It's so nice to capture something that makes you feel good when you see it.

It's esp. nice when you see a photo that invokes an emotion and reminds you of a good time. Even though I'm far away, the time I spend now with my friends is something I cherish and that day with Carey was really special. I relish in my moments with my far away friends even more now that I'm across the country. I'm super excited, because she's coming next month to Laguna Beach (if you've been following my blog, she was here way back in February). It will be my birthday month, so I hope to get to share the week following my actual birthday (October 1st) with her. I'm really looking forward to it.

OK, I'm rambling now! I hope you have a great hump day! BTW, I have a friend who named her daughter Wednesday and I asked her if she was going to give her the nickname "hump day". Harhar.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa